a story telling

I am a Man

by Sarah Teres,

link to this article

I don’t know when I stopped trying. I think it has been a gradual process. It all started, I think, right around baby number 1, which was seven years ago. It was also 60 pounds and 10 clothing sizes ago. I stopped going to the gym, wearing high heels, and full-face make-up. I just didn’t have the energy to put in the effort. However, I did manage to keep current with the latest in maternity fashion and keep up my hair (color, cut, and even some foils!), waxing, pedicures, facials, and even dental appointments. I also continued to wear lipstick or gloss and mascara. Not a lot of effort, but some. Going “out” was rare, but on those rare occasions, I did manage to pull off some full-face evenings and the occasional high heels.

Then came baby number two. I still wrangled the hair (minus the foils—no time for that nonsense), waxing, and some pedicures in the spring and summer. I still went to the dentist every six months and had an occasional facial. I downgraded my wardrobe completely and, unwilling to part with my “thin” clothes completely, put them in a plastic Rubbermaid bin in the basement—where they still reside, untouched, after three moves to three different states.

Now, with baby number three and a new business, the old gray mare ain’t what she used to be. My basic wardrobe these days is t-shirt and jeans chic. But I don’t want to invest in any fabulous clothes in the size I wear right now because I am still in total denial that I even wear this size. Likewise, I am in total denial that even if I were to attain my old weight, my body will never, ever look like it did pre-pregnancy. The shar-pei-like quality (as in wrinkly dog, not High School Musical character) of my abdominal skin screams “extreme make-over.” The boobs that once rivaled those of Pamela Anderson are now nearly at my waist.

Most days, if I know I won’t be leaving the house except for perhaps a drop-off or pick-up, I’ll skip showering so I can have 20 minutes of extra sleep … unless it’s been a few days and I start to offend even myself. On the other hand, and in my own defense, if I know I am going “out” or will be seen by strangers, I will shower, run a comb through my hair, brush my teeth, and get dressed, even putting on a bra.

Wait a minute. Isn’t this the same routine my husband has had for years, minus the bra?

Clearly, I have become a man. I dress like one, and I’ve let so many beauty regimens go, I might as well be one. It’s just so much easier.

My only comfort is in the belief that I’ll eventually get back to being a woman. Someday. After all, those “thin” clothes are still down in the basement, and I keep meaning to find a way to get back to the gym. I will absolutely get my now gorilla-esque legs (don’t even ask about the bikini line) waxed soon. Really. I mean it! And I’ll get a pedicure, too — just as soon as the warmer weather gets here. I also plan to do something about the new Lily Munster thing I’ve got going with my hair. Heck, I even have a great gift certificate for a facial, which has been gathering dust on my desk. I’ll use it, I swear! Someday. You know, when I have more time.

When people ask me what I’d like for my birthday or Christmas, I can’t help but think that what I could really use is some kind of device, a robot or some sort of special machine, that will tend to me in my sleep without actually waking me up — because I cannot spare one moment of sleep. It would be great to get up in the morning and see my hair and nails done, skin perfect and glowing, legs smooth and shiny, and a pre-pregnancy body underneath the flannel sweatpants.

For now, I’ll just have to be happy with the fact that I manage to brush my teeth every day. Baby steps.

nasi lemak kuah

part 2

ingredient:

500 g red onion
500 g garlic
yellow onion -2(depend on you) -dice
ginger(small)
anchovies/dried prawn(to make kuah thick and delicious)
dried chilies
cooking oil


method:
ginger,onion and garlic (blend them cooking oil + a small amount of water)

dried chillies-blend(separately to the above method)

deep fry anchovies or prawn-after that blend them

fry the blended ginger+onion+garlic till a bit yellow...(about 30 mins)

and then add the dried chillies into the fried ginger+onion+garlic in the fry pan(put amount that suit you,a large amount chillies make it more spicy)

wait till the kuah getting darker(red)

put sugar,salt and Monosodium Glutamate to add flavour

lastly pour the blended fry anchovies or prawn into the kuah

wait for 50 mins to cook after pouring the anchovies

ready to serve-

nasi lemak for breakfast

photos by advocacynet:

nasi lemak part 1

what is so special about nasi lemak is,...for me is,it can be serve as breakfast meal or lunch or even dinner...the hard part in making nasi lemak is the "kuah"...which need a lots of patience...but it is not that really hard tough:)

nasi lemak meant white rice cooked in santan. It is the dishes that separates the lemak from the nasi. In days of yore, you get a little sambal belacan/can be replace to anchovies as well, chili gravy, kangkong, peanuts, boiled egg, ikan bilis, and rendang, plus a couple of slices of cucumber. Today, if you have noticed, the sambal belacan is no more and so has the kangkong gone. Instead, you have ayam goreng, and other condiments.

how to make the rice:

Coconut rice (or nasi lemak as it is known in Malay) is popular in South-east Asian countries like Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore. This rice dish is usually served with fried anchovies, sweet chilli and eggs. It can also be served with regular curries, or vegetables dishes.




Instructions
Difficulty: Easy
Things You’ll Need:

* 2 cups rice
* 2.5 cups water
* 2 pandan leaves (screwpine leaves)
* 3 shallots, finely chopped
* 10 tsps thick coconut milk
* 1 slice ginger
* sugar and salt to taste

Step1
Rinse the rice until the water is no longer cloudy. Chop the shallots and slice ginger.

Step2
Place the rice and water in the rice cooker.

Step3
Place all other ingredients into the rice cooker. The fragrant aroma of this dish will appear as the rice begins to cook.

cendol part 2

Ingredients:

10 pandan leaves (cut in 3cm pieces)
2 cups water
green coloring
85g green bean flour

crushed / shaved ice

Sauce:
360g Gula Melaka / brown palm sugar
120g sugar
1 cup water
3 pandan leaves
1 can coconut milk (the thicker the better)
4 cups water
pinch of salt

Method:

Blend pandan leaves together with 1 cup of water. Strain this into a pot. Add a few drops of colouring and bring it to boil. Blend the green bean flour with 1 cup of water the stir this into the pandan juice. Continue stirring till thick and transparent.

Place a basin of ice cold water with some ice cubes in it. Now place your newly made cendol sieve over this basin and pour the pandan mixture into the sieve. Press the mass lightly until all the mixture is through. Make sure that the water is really cold so that these little droplets or “worms” don’t stick to one another. Drain the water and refigerate for 15 mins.

In the meantime, melt the chopped gula melaka in saucepan together with1 cup of water. Strain this and let it cool.

To serve: Put 3 tablespoons of cendol in a bowl. Pour some coconut milk over and add palm syrup according to your taste. Serve with crushed or shaved ice.

contributed by asean delight

thanks asean delight...

cendol

cendol is one of my favorite desert... cendol(green little worm made from rice flour) cover with thick coconut santan, gula melaka and most important ice shaving on the topping is just pure heavy in our hot weather.

Ingredients

1 cup of rice flour
3 cups of water (you can blend with pandan leaves to get the flavour and colour )
1 tsp of pandan paste
1 tsp of alkaline water
1 tsp of salt

used this kind of ladle to make the little 'worms'

1) Mix all the above ingredients together until well combined.
2) Cook over low flame until thick.
3) Prepare a basin or container with some cold water and ice. Place a cendol sieve or a ladle over the basin and pour the cendol mixture over the sieve. Press lightly with a big spoon until the mixture went through. Make sure the water is really cold so these little green droplets don't stick to each other.
4) Drain and they are ready to be serve with gula melaka and coconut milk.